Split clean in half, even if I haven't seen the other loser half in a while.

[ Because Ventus... Ventus had been here, briefly. Things have always been tentative with that one. Vanitas really isn't sure how to proceed with him whenever he shows up. There's still a lot of hatred. A lot of bitter, jealous feelings regarding his "missing half," as it were.

But there's been replacements for Ventus here and in the previous location. So who knows if Ventus is even really needed any longer.

Now interestingly enough about puppets - ]

Not initially. The only one I met became one, though. So who knows.